Furniture Friday...Vintage Dining Set Before & After

I wanted to go back to a piece I did  while ago...for my friend Renee.  Renee has a very cool...vintage hip style.  She saw the potential in this old table in need of some LOVE.

Her husband is a cattle man...and loading this up in a cattle trailer to deliver to my shop on our dairy...well, really is THE only way to go!!

You can see this was still in great condition and has BEAUTIFUL legs!!!

There were only two remaining original chairs...but, that is all Renee needed.  (If you ever need more...I LOVE fitting in mis-matched chairs...matchy-matchy is NO FUN!!!

Shame on me for not getting in any pictures of my process (learning as I go...ALWAYS take pictures now!)  I prepped the wood and cleaned it...a few coats of a classic black, distressed it and cleared it.  

Renee picked that fabulous fabric from Pottery Barn...it was even more beautiful in person!  I really tried to get Renee to leave this here...for me...no shot!  She did however, invite me over for coffee...she enjoys her coffee at this table most mornings.  

I love this before and after.  Not only because she is a friend of mine and this was in her family...but, it shows that you don't have to spend a TON of money at a high end furniture store to get the look you want.  A spruce up of something you love...something that has been in your family (or something you found at a yard sale from ANOTHER family) will add character to your home.

Linking and partying with....

http://designdininganddiapers.com/

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend...

Love & Junk~

Julie

This ol' house Thursday...My Office Space

Okay, so you have seen my logo/business card front, right?  This was designed by a dear friend of mine, Andrea McRee.  A few years ago...I told her what I do, what I want to eventually do...and she created this.  Perfectly drafting my thoughts and images in my head...she read my mind!

So, it says...."VINTAGE FINDS," yep...I have those.  "CUTE STUFF," well, I think so (check my Etsy shop for my CUTE STUFF, www.thevintagebarn.etsy.com ) and "REAL LIVING," well, it is about to get REAL!  I am spilling my photos of my messy office/sewing room...a fellow blogger shared with me that her "behind the scenes" post was a favorite.  Well...here goes...

My "corner office" with OUT a view...

Bills, sales tax report (DONE) and my binder of ideas...

My counter space is cluttered with paint, a Cricut (traded a friend for some VB Home furnishings but have YET to use.)

Can you see why I have this hidden BEHIND the door?

I LOVE my stencils...just working on a way to better display them.  MORE corkboard needed!

I did not expect (for a SECOND) to sell as many things as I am...but, I have run out of fabric storage.  I need more room...thanking God for the abundance of business!

My girls have to have their space in the office, right?  My parents bought them this for Christmas...they LOVE it!  Now, they create while mommy creates.

I saved the BEST for last...this, my friends...is 

The Vintage Barn's "Shipping & Receiving Department!"  

Cleaning and de-cluttering, right....my work is SO cut out for me!   I am tackling this ol'house...one room, one garbage bag and one pot of coffee at a time!  

Love & Junk~

Julie

Dairy Wife Wednesday...

Sweet new heifer calf and cow.

"I don't know how you live out here," said a friend of mine that I used to teach with.  Pretty sure I couldn't live anywhere else...again.

My husband is a dairy farmer and we are lucky enough to live right on the dairy...I mean right on the dairy.  We are walking distance from the milk barn, maternity barn and pen after pen of cows and heifers!

Can we keep her daddy?

The picture of the new calf above...is in the maternity barn directly a hop, skip and a jump across the street from our house.  My girls have seen it all...calves being born and even bottle feeding a new calf.  Pretty special...we think!

This is my "co-pilot" checking on things...

We are never bored...there is always something to do.  When the weather is nice...we head out for our walk around different fields of alfalfa, corn or other grains (depending on the season.)  

Flashback...moving cows a few years ago.  

Working with daddy is something the girls love.  We have jumped in the truck to move cows, change water or pick him up in a field getting off the tractor...life of a dairy wife (and girls!)

Best worker daddy has!

My plan with this blog is to not only inspire you to tackle projects, make your house your home with out breaking the bank...but, to give you a peek into our CA dairy!  I hope you will find this an interesting feature...there is a lot in running a dairy.  Come back here for more about this fun life I wouldn't trade for anything (remember, I didn't grow up on a dairy or even in the country!)  

Now..go get a BIG glass of milk!

Love & Junk~

Julie

Motivation for Monday...Be Yourself!

"Be yourself, who else is better qualified?" Spoken by Frank Giblin.

This quote is about individuality...being yourself...and being happy with that.

I am.

Even though I am MORE than inspired by Miss Mustard Seed, my new friend Stacey at staceyembracingchange.blogspot.com and other fabulous ladies...I am not them.    Nor can they be me (they probably don't want to!)  They have spent years building their businesses...I am just at the beginning of MY journey (with a 4 and 1 year old in tow!)   Yep...just me being myself!

One of Miss Mustard Seed's blog post really related to my journey.  She talked about "wading" in her first months and year of starting her business.  She also wrote about working with little ones at her feet.  Yep.  I can relate...TOTALLY!  It seems that some days I can be knee deep in painting a piece...and it is time to pick the oldest up at preschool...or nap time is OVER!  

Back to the quote...being myself, right?  I want to dive in...head first.  That is NOT going to happen today.  I can't.  I do what I can in between naps, bedtime, preschool days...and those afternoons (rare) when my hard working hubby can take the girls outside and swing or check on some cows.

 Just me...and MY family.

As much as I want my business dreams to come true...today...I wouldn't change it!  I am home with my girls and they won't be little forever.  They will all too soon both be in school and I will have lots of time to work on my projects.  Until then, I will continue painting furniture when I can...and working with my fabulous 4 year old assistant!  (I am pretty sure we perfected her color recognition with my paint collection!)

Well, I hope you will too "Be Yourself...because there is NO ONE better qualified!"

Love & Junk~

Julie

Lazy Day PB Cookies...with a Kiss!

This is the EASIEST cookie recipe. Ever. We haven't been feeling the best in our house...so, this morning I was met with a million loads of laundry, housework to catch up on and a 4 year old that wanted to make cookies. Lazy PB Cookies it is! Okay...easy enough. Three ingredients. 1 Cup of Peanut Butter 1 Cup of Granulated Sugar 1 Egg You read that right...that's it. Even more shocking...is how DELICIOUS these cookies are. Honestly. I really feel silly giving the "recipe" but, some of you may never have heard of these. They will be a favorite on days when you don't have a lot of time, don't want to clean up a ton of dishes and just feel like a warm homemade treat on a cozy day! Just mix the peanut butter and sugar first, then mix in the egg. Scoop into balls, roll in sugar and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. If you want to put Hershey Kisses in them...just take out after 8 minutes. Peel the kisses, put in the center of the cookies and bake for another 2 or 3 minutes. Done. Quick. Easy. Not a HUGE mess. DELICIOUS! Make sure you get an ice cold glass of Real CA Milk to go with your cookies! Love & Junk~ Julie

No Place Like Home

Somewhere over the rainbow there is an UNSTUFFED HEAD! Our house has been hit with a horrible cold...at least it isn't the flu! We all need a break...it is hard to burn the candle at both ends...when you do not feel well AT ALL!!! So, today...we cuddled on the couch, folded laundry and did some movie watching. My FAVORITE movie of all time is The Wizard of Oz. I was thrilled to sit down on a gloomy day with a blanket, my 45 boxes of tissue and cozy up to my girls. If you look closely...the wood plaque above the hearth says "There's No Place Like Home." Dorothy. Nope, no place like it. As we watched our movie...I was reminded how luck I am to be their mom, hold them and play with them and enjoy my time at home with them!! Back at it...HARD tomorrow!! No clicking my heels to finish my work...I will be sewing like a mad woman...and painting like a crazy lady!! Love & Junk~ Julie

Room Mini-Makeover...on the CHEAP!

I happen to like change. I am constantly moving furiture, pictures and even enjoy a quick seasonal wall "spruce-it-up" paint job! (My husband says he soesn't care what I paint as long as he doesn't have to help...he has zero tolerance for painting!) It really all started with that old armoir you see in the corner. It was black. I LOVE distressed black furniture...but, yep...needed a change. Something about our bedroom was bugging me. The boring...tan walls? The black furniture? The black and white paisley duvet cover? Not sure what it was but, I had a can of turquoise paint and a brush handy. Both girls were napping...I work best when our girls (4 & 1...yep, I am busy) are napping. I went for it...black armoir turned turquoise. LOVE IT! Well, that led to a wall color change...a deeper chocolate brown. I waited for my Behr paint to go on sale at Home Depot...savings! That led to me wanting to change our bedding. Uh oh..put on the brakes! Not wanting to spend too much money (or ANY at all) I "shopped" on our local Facebook Yard Sale page. I ended up finding bedding that I LOVED and it was from a dear childhood friend, Sonia Blomgren. The bedding had the turquoise, brown and browny-reds I wanted. I had a coffee table in my Etsy shop that she wanted...TRADE! Perfect...no money spent and I got Pottery Barn bedding that was just like new! I even dug up a beautiful handmade quilt to toss over our bed...the beautiful rich brown color on the wall was the base of this blanket...perfct! Another fabulous find on that Facebook Yard Sale page was the antique high back chair you see. I bought that for a whopping $25!!! I bought it with the intent to resell it, brought it home and said no way...that is MINE! Right now I have thrown a small cow hide over the seat...someday I will reupholster the whole thing in cowhide. That is a project for another day... As for now, I am keeping my projects simple and expenses MINIMAL! You can, too. Shop your own house...look in cupboards, closets...and even steal something from another room. Giving something a new spot in your home...will give everything a new feel! I have more projects coming...stay tuned! Love & Junk~ Julie www.thevintagebarn.etsy.com www.facebook.com/thevintagebarn